I'm in the same boat. I do not have PPM, but doctors actually don't know why my eye isn't functioning. It is very lonely to not belong to any group. So welcome to the club, I guess?

If it helps, being low vision makes you a part of the blind community if you want to be here. It took me a long time to realise I belong because of the way people treated my vision when I was growing up. But I do and so do you.

Just a thought here... This 'completely normal' language yous are throwing around here... Well, does that mean that those of us who can't hide our vision loss don't look normal? You want to be one of us but remain completely normal looking?

While you've been over there feeling like you look normal but it's a bad thing cause nobody supports your vision limits, others have been bullied all their lives because they could never look 'completely normal.' You've missed out on so many fun experiences. Not being invited places. Being grabbed/dragged by completely normal people who spotted you from across the room and KNEW assistance was required. Let's be honest, you didn't explain to your friends your condition because you enjoyed the anonymity.

See the full picture. Self-advocavy can be a benefit for your integration but shedding your completely normal status among the TABS isn't going to make you less lonely. It will leave you open to a different kind of exclusion and harassment you've been able to avoid to a great extent.

Get used to not being normal -whatever normal is, anyway, and realize you will be less lonely if you're hanging with folks who don't care about labels. Become a person who doesn't care about labels yourself and your life will be much easier.

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I don't have the same eye issue, they never really gave me a name to my bad eye. I've just called it a lazy eye my whole life. But yeah. I'm blind in one eye and I feel the same way. I've had a few surgeries to where it looks normal so now I don't look like there's anything wrong with it.

Solidarity.

I have retinitis pigmentosa, I look completely normal and can see things in front of me, but I only have central vision, and not much of it. 80% of my total vision is gone, and my left eye is maybe 5% now. So even when I use my cane, I get weird looks because I'm reading boxes or flipping through racks while holding it.

Something I've done before is get Halloween contacts that make your eyes look super cataract-y and foggy. I've worn them in both eyes and in just my bad left eye. People seem to understand better then.